A Los Angeles-based nonprofit opened an early childhood center specifically for children whose families are seeking asylum in the United States. This center is one of the only places available where migrant children can play and learn for free.

Wednesday proved to be a big day for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors 2020 races.

On Wednesday morning Poway Mayor Steve Vaus announced he will run for the District 2 seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in 2020, making him the first Republican candidate to openly enter any of the county’s three supervisors races.

Also Wednesday Escondido City Councilwoman Olga Diaz officially announced she is running for the Board’s District 3 seat after filing to run last week.

The District 2 seat, representing much of East County and an eastern portion of the city of San Diego, will be an open seat due to the departure of longtime Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who is unable to seek re-election in 2020 because of term limits. Meanwhile the District 3 seat, representing part of San Diego and the cities of Encinitas, Escondido, Solana Beach and Del Mar, is currently held by incumbent Supervisor Kristin Gaspar who is eligible to seek re-election if she so chooses.

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Terra Lawson-Remer, an economist and attorney living in Encinitas and a former senior adviser in the Treasury Department under the Obama Administration, is running for the District 3 supervisor seat as well.

“As East County’s Supervisor my priorities will be the same as they have been as Mayor: keeping us safe from crime and fire, maintaining infrastructure, protecting and expanding open space, allowing development where appropriate, and being accessible,” said Vaus in a news release.

A 26-year resident of Poway alongside his wife, Corrie, Vaus was first elected to public office in 2012 when he served on the Poway City Council. Two years later he successfully ran for mayor and then was re-elected last November with more than 62 percent of the vote..

Prior to his time in public office, Vaus was already well known for his career as a recording artist and because of his ownership of a production company. Vaus found his niche in country music and making children’s songs, and won a Grammy award in 2010 under the Best Spoken Word Album for Children category. He also has earned multiple Emmy awards along with his wife in 2007.

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Now in his second-term as mayor and serving as chair of the San Diego Association of Governments, Vaus has already amassed a lengthy list of supporters in his bid for supervisor. In his announcement Wednesday, he unveiled more than two dozen endorsements including ones from San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells and county Supervisors Jim Desmond and Kristin Gaspar.

Vaus also proudly touts the support of the seat’s current representative Jacob, the longest serving supervisor in county history.

“I care deeply about county government and the people we serve and that’s why I’m supporting Steve Vaus for supervisor,“ said Jacob in a video released on Vaus’s newly launched campaign website. “Steve has a proven track record of putting people before politics. He has earned my trust and I hope you will join me in supporting him.”

Meanwhile Diaz, who has served on the Escondido City Council since 2008, also sat on such community boards as the California State University San Marcos President’s Advisory Committee, San Diego Gas & Electric’s Community Advisory Council and the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Latino Advisory Board.

She also rolled out some prominent endorsements, including Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez.

“I’m running for supervisor to serve as an honest, independent and articulate voice for San Diego County residents,” Diaz said in a statement. “I won’t be afraid to take on the status quo and institute new ideas to reduce homelessness, keep neighborhoods safe, improve the services that our most vulnerable residents rely on, tackle climate change, and protect the things that make San Diego County such a great place to live.”

Vaus and Diaz’s announcements bring the total candidates who have openly declared their candidacies for the county’s supervisor seats to five.

In District 1, which covers the South Bay, Port of San Diego chair Rafael Castellanos announced his candidacy at the start of the year and Southwestern Community College Trustee and healthcare advocate Nora Vargas declared her candidacy earlier this month.

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And in District 3, Diaz joins the aforementioned Lawson-Remer who initially established a campaign committee back in December.

Vaus is the lone candidate in the race for the District 2 supervisor seat at this point.